Adding value in lockdown

As the glazed extension market looks set to grow even further due to an increased need for home office space, Neville Gleed, operations director at Abcell, talks about how installers can benefit from expertise to make the most of the opportunity.

It doesn’t look like we’ll be free from lockdown restrictions any time soon, and latest government guidance is for people to work from home if they are able. This means that glazed extension installers can expect to stay busy as homeowners look for ways to create extra space.

The improve-not-move trend of recent years has already caused a significant rise in popularity for glazed extensions, the obvious choice to increase square footage and add value to a property.

Covid-19 has heightened this desire even further. After being cooped up inside for such a long period, homeowners have had plenty of time to think about ways they’d like to upgrade and expand, and unspent holiday budgets means many now have the funds to invest on the home.

For those in jobs who are able to work remotely, this could now become a long-term situation rather than a short-term solution, as an increasing number of firms have announced that office attendance flexibility may continue even after things return to some degree of normality. A glazed extension is the ideal way to take the pressure off space restraints that an unexpected home office may have caused, especially if there’s more than one family member working from home.

Glazing is a key element of any extension. The right glazing means that maximum daylight is drawn right to the back of an open plan living area, making it a light, bright, airy space. This can only be achieved with the right combination of windows, doors and roof.

Solstice Skylights or Velux roof windows can be used in solid roofs to ensure that an extension still benefits from natural light.

Because they aren’t embedded in the industry, builders don’t have their fingers on the pulse of the ever-changing glazing market like fitters do. By positioning themselves as glazed extensions experts, installers can maximise the opportunities that the popularity of extensions presents.

We’ve come up with a GEM of an idea for installers offering home working spaces. As the Glazed Extension Merchants (GEM), Abcell can provide information and expertise to our trade customers to help them achieve this.

Glazed extension products have evolved hugely over recent years, with skylights, lanterns, bifolding and sliding doors, as well as large span windows, all becoming key elements to an aspirational extension. GEM knowledge gives installers the best advice on which products will offer the biggest benefits to a glazed extension project.

Whether it’s windows, doors or roof products, Abcell has everything that installers need for a quality glazed extension project, all from one trusted fabricator.

We are the UK’s largest trade manufacturer of both the Guardian Warm Roof and WarmCore, and we also fabricate Ultraframe, Aluk and Stratus, which gives us a huge range of glazed extension products for installers.

We also have a customer support portal to provide valuable marketing and sales support to help installers ‘sell the dream’ to homeowners. And with 30 years of experience in the glazed extension sector, we are more than happy to provide a GEM of technical back up and guidance for our customers, helping them give homeowners the best possible products and service.